‘Joker 2’, ‘Batgirl’ and DC’s Plan for the Future
This week, an earthquake worth $90 million shook the entertainment industry, after it was reported (and confirmed) that Warner Bros. Discovery was throwing the upcoming DC movie Batgirl into the trash can. The company has since clarified its plans for the brand’s future.
Joker: Folie à Deux
Starting with some good news, the studio has officially dated Joker: Folie à Deux for an October 4, 2024, theatrical release. According to Deadline, the movie will start shooting this December, and will be mostly set inside Arkham Asylum, said The Wrap. Moreover, Lady Gaga has officially joined the project. The actress confirmed the news on social media, sharing a small animated teaser that gives us our first look at what we can expect from the sequel. While never explicitly confirmed, it is hinted that she will be indeed playing Harley Quinn, as first reported by THR:
Joker: Folie à Deux
10.04.24 pic.twitter.com/obp7T9lBFL— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 4, 2022
Todd Philips is back as director and co-writer, along with Scott Silver. The subtitle, “Folie à Deux”, is, according to Wikipedia, “a psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a delusional belief, and sometimes hallucinations, are transmitted from one individual to another.” It hints that the sequel will further explore Arthur Fleck’s mental problems, building upon the first movie’s final scene.
Batgirl
More light has been shed on the movie’s cancellation by David Zaslav and the new regime at Warner Bros. Discovery. Apparently, the movie was test-screened once, and according to multiple reports, from The New York Post (who first reported the news) to Collider or Rolling Stone, the movie was not well received. While this may be frequent for test screeners, especially for movies that are too early in the post-production process, it looks like the new bosses didn’t think the movie was good enough for the new brand they are trying to build for DC.
Batgirl was aiming for an HBO Max release, but apparently, Zaslav didn’t think they would ever be able to get back the $90 million the movie cost from the streaming service. Alternatively, a theatrical release would cost the studio tens of millions of dollars in marketing expenses, and they didn’t think they would be able to get the money back. Instead, they opted for a tax write-off, which meant the studio would get back $15-$20 million. Unfortunately, this will mean that the studio will not be able to monetize the movie, which means they are not legally allowed to ever distribute it in theaters or on streaming.
Batgirl herself, Leslie Grace, put out the following statement on social media:
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The directing duo of the movie, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, also put out the following statement:
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The studio is reportedly in conversations with both the actress and the directors to work with them on future projects.
The future of DC
While a definitive plan hasn’t been laid out, Zaslav has made some promising comments, stating once again that the DC brand is their most valuable asset, and they will treat it as such. He cited Marvel Studios as an example of what they are aiming to do, and after the recent hiring of Alan Horn as an assistant, they may be on the right track. Per The Hollywood Reporter, he said:
“You look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman — these are brands that are known everywhere in the world. We have done a reset. We’ve restructured the business where we are going to focus, where there is going to be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC. We believe we can build a much more sustainable business.
It’s very similar to the structure Alan Horn, [former Disney CEO] Bob Iger and Kevin Feige put together very effectively at Disney. We think we can build a much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC. As part of that, we are going to focus on quality. We are not going to release any film before it’s ready. … DC is something we can make better.
The objective is to grow the DC brand. To grow the DC characters. But also, our job is to protect the DC brand, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
About the upcoming slate of DC theatrical films, which include Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Black Adam, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash, Zaslav said:
“We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better.”
Rumors about yet another delay for The Flash have been circulating for the past couple of days, though producer Barbara Muschietti let everyone know that they are on the right track. The marketing campaign will still be a tough nut to crack, given the recent scandals its lead actor, Ezra Miller, has been involved in. Most recently, Business Insider published an interview with the parents of an 18-year-old that has been groomed by the actor since they were 12.
HBO Max and Discovery Plus
While not exactly DC-related, the studio head also announced their plans for the future of their flagship streaming services. It looks like the two will be combined into a new streaming service that will launch in the summer of 2023. It will start in the U.S. and will slowly expand internationally. For now, it looks like scripted content will still be kept on the new streaming service, contrary to previous reports that said they were axing it in favor of unscripted shows.
Stay tuned for more news on the future of DC and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
